Garter



Dec. 25, 1923. 1,478,733

R. FERRIDAY GARTER Filed June 20. 1921 76 5 Er ,5 ,EF

Patented Dec. 25, 1923.

UNITED STATES ROBERT FERRIDAY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO. V

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' Application filed .Tune 20, 1921. Serial No. 478,879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT FERRIDAY, a citizen of the United States residing at Cleveland, in the county of duyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in a Garter, of which the. following is a full, clear, and eX- act description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to garters, and is particularly concerned with means for improving the construction and for materially increasing the life of a garter.

In a number of garters, especially in the limb-encircling type, the construction employed at present, necessitates one or more stitching operations to secure the limb encirclin band to the garment clasping member. 11 this connection much time is consumed, not only in stitching theband to the clasping pieces, but also in securing one of the claspin pieces to a garment fastener. As soon as t e elastic properties in the band have been exhausted, it has been customary to discard the arter, even though the clasping members show no appreciable degr'eeof wear. 4

One of the objects of my'invention, therefore, is the provision of a garter wherein the elastic band may be readily attached to the clasping members without necessitating a sewing operation. Accordingly, my invention contemplates the provision of a garter wherein the band is replaceable without necessitating the replacement of the fasten- 'ing pieces.

Another object is the provision of a garter which may be readily adjusted at either end of the limb encircling band, without disconnecting the fastening pieces. To secure the adjustable feature, my invention provides a novel form of clasp, wherein the elastic properties in the band are employed for urging the 'clasping members into engagement with each other.

In carrying out my invention I employ a limb encircling band which is arrranged to.

be attached at the ends thereof to non-absorbent clasping pieces by overlapping the hand between spaced fingers on the pleces. The arrangement of the fingers is such as to permit the band to be attached without any complicated threading operations, so that the band may be readily replaced when the elastic properties therein have been exhausted. Furthermore, I provide several modes in which the garter may be attached to the garment, which modes will be hereinafter fully set forth in the description. The essential characteristics of my invention will be set. forth in the claims.

In thedrawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective View showing a garter embodying features of my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan viewofa preferred form of clas'ping piece arranged to be attached to one end of the limb. encircling band; Fig. 3"isa plan view of a preferred form of clasping piece arranged to be secured at the other end of the band; Figs. 4 and 5 are sections taken onlines 4.-4 and 55 in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively.

My invention contemplates, broadly, the

provision of a garter wherein the limb encircling band may be removably secured to the clasping piece in such manner that adjustments may be readily obtained and that the band may be quickly replaced when necessary. In the various .illustrations, the preferred form of garter is) embodied in Figs. 1 to 3, wherein the band 10, shown as having one end thereof secured to the-member 11 and the other end thereof secured to the member 12. These two mentioned members'are constructed of non-absorbent material, preferably metal, and are provided with an interlocking feature which will be hereinafter described. The member 11 is, of course, provided with a garment fasteningclasp 13 which, in its preferred'form, embodies a V-shaped slot 14, with a notch 15 therein.

The member 11 is shown as having a body portion 16, which is rectangular inform, and which is provided on each side thereof with inwardly facing fingers 17 and 18, respectively. The body portion, as shown in Fig. 5, may be arcuate' in form, and may be oifset with relation to the fingers 17 and. 18. The various portions of the member llare arranged to be stamped from a single strip of light sheet metal.

, To insure a permanent engagement between the band 10 and member 11, one of the fingers, as at 18, may be pro videdwith prongs 19 which are struck up therefrom during the stampingoperation. Infolding l in engagement with the clasping piece, with minates adjacent one side of thebody portion 16 and the fabric passes in a loop 21, around the fingers l7 and is attached to the prongs. The elastic properties of the material serve to maintain the loop 21 in a taut condition by pressing the free end 20 ,27 and 28 adjacent the other side thereof.

The respective fingers and bars may be disposed in various planes, as shown in Fig. 4, wherein the bars 27 and 28 and fingers 25 are approximately in the same plane, while the fingers 26 are slightly above the plane of the bar 28. In passing the fabric 10 through the piece 12, I have shown the fabric as extending in a loop 30 around the bar 27 with both ends of the bight passing over the fingers 26 and beneath the fingers 25. In this manner, contact between the band 10 and the end 31 creates sufficient friction to retain the fabric satisfactorily out necessitating any sewing of the fabric. In this connection the construction employed enables one to tighten the band by drawing the end 31 between the fingers 26 and the fabric 10. The overlapping method illustrated enables the fabric to be readily drawn through the loop in one direction, but prevents it being drawn readily in the other direction. This feature is important inasmuch as it is desirable to retain the fabric in apredetermined position, after it is once adjusted to the desired length.

To insert the band in either of the pieces 11 or 12, it is only necessary to compress the fabric and to slip the compressed portion between the spaced fingers in the manner illustrated. This method obviates the necessity of threading the end of the fabric through slots and thereby reduces the time required for assembling the various parts While the garter is in the process of manufacture. Furthermore, it enables one to replace the elastic band with ease and rapidit To clasp the pieces 11 and 12 together, I have shown the member 11 as having a bridge piece 35 stamped on the body portion 16, which bridge piece is curved to receive a hook 36 on the member 12. prevent the hook from disengaging the bridge piece, I prefer to construct the hook by forming it integral with the member 12 and then bending it out of the plane of the bar 28. When the members 11 and 12 are clasped together, the degree of displacement of the hook with reference to the plane of the bar, is sufficient to cause the 'arcuate portion 37 to force the fabric 10 slightly gagement with the bridge member 35, their the elastic properties of the band 10, cause the 'member 12, to be pivoted about the arcuate portion 37, whereby the members 11 and 12 are permanently retained in engagement with each other.

The combined action of the band tending to pivot member 12 about the arcuate portion 37 as'a fulcrum, together with the elastic properties of that portion of the band adjacent the hook 36 insures contact between the members 11 and 12 and permits the garter to be subjected to ordinary usage without disengaging the clasping pieces. The clasping pieces may be positioned to gether and retained in a satisfactory manner without raising the bridge portion 35 above the plane of the body portion 16, but by positioning this bridge above the body portion it is therefore possible to bring the hook more readily into engagement with the bridge. The interengaging clasp between the members 11 and 12 as shown in Fig. 1 is the preferred construction, but it is obvious that the engaging members are well adapted to the ordinary button and loop engaging means.

To attach the garter to a garment I have shown a preferred form in Fig. 3, wherein the member 11 is provided with a. depending portion 13 which terminates in a 'V-shaped slot having a notch 15 stamped therein. I have found that the notch enables the cloth in the garment to gather in a fold and to be held securely in position. In Fig. 3, the notch is shown as positioned intermediate the end 410 and the portion 41, where the notch flares outwardly.

In accordance with the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided a garter wherein the limb encircling band may be readily attached to the clasping members without necessitating any sewing or clamping operation, and that the band is readily replaceable as soon as" the elastic properties therein have been exhausted. Furthermore, it will be seen that I have provided novel forms for attaching the garter to a garment, and that the forms employed have been directed not only in reducing the number of parts employed, but also in decreasing the cost of manufacture.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A garter comprising in combination a limb encircling band and a removable member at each end thereof, eachof said'mem-' bers havingoppositely spaced fingers 'on the marginal edges thereof for receiving and frictionally retaining said band.

2. A garter comprising in combination,

a limb encircling band, and interengaging members at each end of the band, one of said members having pairs of oppositely disposed fingers along the opposite edges thereof, a bridge piece in the portion of said member intermediate said edges, and another member having ahookshaped projection adapted to engage beneath said bridge piece.

3. A garter comprising a limb encircling band, a garment fastener removably secured at one end thereof, and a clasp removably secured to the other end thereof, said clasp member having fingers disposed in approximately parallel planes adjacent the marginal edges thereof whereby the band may be folded in a loop around the fingers and in such a manner that the girth of the band may be readily adjusted but normally held against inadvertent enlargement.

4:. A garter comprising in combination, a limb encircling band, and interengaging members at each end thereof, one of said members having oppositely disposed fingers along opposite edges thereof and having a bridge piece intermediate said edges, said member being adapted to frictionally engage one end of the limb-encircling band, and the other of said members being adapted to engage the opposite end of said band, said last mentionedmember having a set of oppositely disposed fingers along one of the edges thereof, and having an uninterrupted strip along the opposite edge, with a projection extending from said strip, said projection being adapted to cooperate with the bridge piece on said first named finger.

5. A garter comprising a fabric limb-encircling band, and a rigid member removably secured at each end thereof, each of said members having oppositely disposed fingers along one edge thereof, said band being folded ateach end around the fingers, and held therein by friction between adjacent folds, one of said members having a depending portion integral therewith and comprising a garment fastener.

6. A garter having a band, a member removably secured at one end thereof, said member comprising a one-piece structure having an integral portion thereof adapted to engage and retain the garment, and having a portion thereof provided with prongs which are adapted to engage and retain the band, said band engaging portion comprising a body portion and two sets of fingers, the fingers being disposed in planes approximately parallel to the plane of the body portion.

7. In a garter, an elastic limb encircling band, a member removably secured at one end thereof and comprising a garment fastener, and another member removably secured at the free end thereof said last mentioned member having sets of oppositely disposed fingers arranged in approximately parallel planes, whereby the band may be intertwined and retained by friction between the folds thereof.

8. A garter having a limb encircling band, a garment fastener secured to one end thereof and a clasp member secured to the other end thereof, the clasp member having oppositely disposed fingers on one edge thereof positioned parallel to each other, and having at least one unbroken connecting strip on the opposite edge there: of extending parallel to the fingers and a clasp carried by said strip.

9. A garter having an elastic limb encircling band, and a fastening member carried thereby, said member having a bridge portion behind which the band extends, and a clasp member on the band having a projection adapted to'engage the bridge for locking together the ends of the band.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature.

ROBERT FERRIDAY. 

